This famous old country house might not come cheap, but where else can you splash out in such decadent style for life’s big celebrations?

Beautifully connected, engagingly old-fashioned London pad, with a garden. Head out for Vauxhall Park, the Tate, Westminster...

A peaceful cottage for 2-4 between the Dales and the Moors, with swallows in the barn, an idyllic village, and a garden to explore

In pretty Vernon, a peaceful and comfortably large townhouse with roses rambling around the door

Elegant country château with a family feel, for big groups with or without children, and those who seek inspiration

A nature-filled estate for smart lodge holidays in rural peace with woods and coast to explore, onsite activities and yummy homemade meals

A red-brick cottage and Shepherd’s hut in a magical garden with a cookery school and views over the South Downs

A peaceful, harmonious house with roots in the 14th century, a glorious enclosed pool area and a huge amount of space for happy gatherings

A great base from which to explore beautiful Pembrokeshire - walk by the coast, take to the hills, check out ancient St Davids

Swim with frogs in the freshwater pool, breakfast in the sunshine, play boules by moonlight. Châteaux don't get much more rural

A 1750 one-storey former farm building, beautifully converted into a lovely hideaway for walkers, nature lovers and peace seekers

Spend restful days in a verdant garden, slip into the cooling pool, sip wine on your private balcony, stroll into arty Benissa

A stone built 18th-century tower in a pretty valley dotted with fruit trees for quiet and relaxed days recuperating from life in the city

A cottage in a conservation village with logs in the burner, sloe gin on the table, and a good dining pub you can walk to

A beautiful little collection of trulli near the Valle d’Itria – restored with flair and with gardens, woods and pool

Wrapped in fields and woods, this big traditional house has crisply furnished interiors and plenty of gadgets. Terraced gardens and pool too

A sculptor's studio, flooded with light, converted into a restful holiday home surrounded by glorious countryside, near Totnes

An ancient building filled with beauty and sitting in the quietest SSSI valley, criss-crossed by medieval drove ways buzzing with wildlife